Friday, March 25, 2011

Herbal Tea

Today I'd like to talk about one of the things I enjoy- herbal tea.

I like almost all kinds of tea. Black, green, oolong, rooibos, herbal. Love them all.

I typically drink black tea with cream and sugar, my green with a drop of honey, and my rooibos and herbals plain. And if you are having a nice little tea, I *highly* recommend a good scone with clotted or Devonshire cream. Slather it on like you would butter, use a little jam if you'd like, and oh. my. goodness. YUM. (In case you are unfamiliar with clotted cream and Devonshire cream, it looks a bit like a cross between butter and whipped cream. It is slightly sweet and an oh so yummy addition to baked goods.)

But herbal teas are one of my great loves. I have been known to make up blends of dried, loose herbs and take them with me wherever I go. Once, my mother warned me I could get arrested for carrying a bag of nettle that looked suspiciously like marijuana. But so far, no arrests. :)

Ah, herbs. When it comes solely to taste, my favorite herbs are chamomile, lemon balm, lavender, hibiscus, and orange peel.

As far as medicinal qualities, I always have on hand a wide variety, and recommend you do too. Some of my favorites include nettle (though I confess I loathe the way it tastes and typically combine it with other palatable herbs to get it down), red raspberry, oatstraw, red clover, alfalfa, spearmint, and rose hips. There are many more, but these are the ones I use the most.

I'll often take a couple tablespoons of the loose (dried) herb, put it in a tea ball or tea bag (they make these so you can make your on tea bags- you can buy them online or at health food stores) place it in a mason jar and cover it with boiling water, allowing it to steep a few minutes. If I want it more potent, I simply let it steep longer.

I find herbs are a beautiful way to take care of yourself (and your family!).

To illustrate, lately I have been retaining a lot of water from the time I was on prednisone. Cornsilk is a powerful diuretic. I put a few tablespoons in a tea bag, plopped it into a mason jar, covered it with boiling water and let it steep. Viola! An infusion that works as well as any prescription diuretics without dangerous side effects.

I'm not a doctor and don't claim to be, but I can tell you, from my personal experience, that herbs are a delightful thing to study and use. They are also powerful medicines, and therefore should be treated with respect. I believe God gave us these amazing substances to promote our health and healing.

I have personally used herbs to treat all kinds of ailments in both myself and my family. All kinds of things, from allergies to colds and flus, to stress and anxiety, to pain, insomnia, iron deficiencies, varicose veins, etc.

Warning: loving herbs is contagious. I can hardly make myself a cup of tea without one of my children begging for some.

All right, I admit... I kind of like that about them. :)

I just finished drinking a cup of chamomile. Lovely. Feeling very calm and relaxed and...

just about ready to go to sleep.

Goodnight all!

7 comments:

  1. Love tea too! I just had some decaf black tea with milk. Chamomile is great for before bed. I was drinking it 3 times a day hoping it would help my thyroid calm down. I read lemon balm was good for that but haven't tried it. I use Peppermint for an upset stomach or headache. I used red raspberry leave tea towards the end of pregnancy and during labor. I really like the way blueberry tastes iced. Do you make your own Devonshire cream? I would love to hear more specifics of what tea to use for what ailment :)

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  2. Thanks for sharing, Theresa! (Always good to hear from you:))

    No, I don't make my own cream. They sell it occasionally at my commissary. The first time I bought it, I ordered it online. From the english tea store, I think. It's a tad pricey so I don't have it all the time. Sometimes I substitute cream cheese. But it isn't the same. :)

    As to specific herbs for specific ailments, I could go on and on all day. If you have one in mind, I could tell you what I have done. Or, if you'd rather, I could recommend some of my favorite herbal books. There are also many fabulous websites with lots of information available.

    xo

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  3. I love to drink green tea with Jasmine, so refreshing.

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  4. I buy my garden plants from a Mennonite family. They serve all their customers something called Meadow tea. It's a mixture of mint and other herbs, though I don't know the exact blend. But it's delicious. My daughter Bron is a big fan of herb teas. She especially loves Celestial Seasonings' Sleepytime.

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  5. Oh, I love herbs! It is so amazing the things you can do with them. Have you ever been to www.bulkherbstore.com? They have practically any herb and have a great list of remedies along with video tutorials. I love it!

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  6. Jodi- If you can find out what other herbs they use in that blend, do share! I'm very interested. :)

    Tori- Yes. I am very familiar with the Bulk Herb Store. They are very affordable and have some good information on herbs. :)

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  7. I'm off for some bedtime camomile right now- but cannot like Redbush!

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